Clashes and Rivalry

Must See Week 2 College Football Games

If you haven’t been paying attention to college football for some reason, now is the time to start. Hype is meeting reality. Hemming and hawing about starters and backups has ended. We have now seen a week’s worth of serious football. Certainly we’ve seen enough to weigh against our expectations and to feed the rankings machine. Let’s take a look.

First things first: Alabama beat Florida State handily, 24-7. We’re trying to remember: was this supposed to be a tough game for Alabama, maybe? Well, as it turned out, ‘Bama had little trouble. Florida State managed 66 yards in the second half. The FSU defense held up admirably, limiting the Crimson Tide to 4.7 yards per play. But Alabama’s win was generally definitive. The biggest disappointment for Florida State is that QB Deondre Harris will be out for the season after suffering a knee injury.

In maybe the most dramatic game of week one play, Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 42-41 in double overtime. In the last play of the game, Georgia Tech went for a two-point conversion, and the Vols stuffed it to preserve their victory. They scrapped for it, too. To force overtime, Tennessee scored twice in the last twelve minutes. The Yellow Jackets had 655 yards in total offense and they possessed the ball twice as long as the Vols did. So they were stunned as anyone that they came out on the losing end.

Also, Tennessee had an assistant coach hoist a trash can the whole game to motivate the defense to force turnovers. No one is really buying it.

This week gives us rivalries and matchups between top ten teams. And they’ll be on TV all day long. So settle in, or get riled up. Start early or tune in halfway through the afternoon. Whatever college football games you’re looking forward to, watch them on DISH. If you need to watch two, use picture-in-picture. If you want to watch four games at a time, you can do that too.

Start here to see your favorite team’s schedule. Here are the games we’ll be tracking.

Penn State v University of Pittsburgh3:30pm

Last year’s Penn State–Pitt game was a shocker. Pitt was up big at halftime and held their lead even as Penn State came back in the second half. It was 42-39 Pitt in the final minutes, and Penn State had the ball. They scrambled up the field until QB Trace McSorley threw a long pass toward the end zone, and it was… intercepted. Penn State lost, and they would be shut out of the College Football Playoff. And Pitt’s win came in front of the largest crowd ever to assemble for a sports event in the history of the city of Pittsburgh. Needless to say, the Nittany Lions will come in looking for revenge.

Auburn v Clemson 7pm

It’s a classic SEC vs ACC clash. Clemson currently is ranked #3 to Auburn’s #14. They both won big against bottom-tier teams in week one: Clemson against Kent State 56-3 and Auburn against Georgia Southern 41-7. Last year, Clemson beat Auburn 19-13. As the reigning champs look for a repeat, Auburn will be a major early test.

Oklahoma v Ohio State7:30pm

Ohio State’s offense is sort of a question mark. It took until halftime to really turn up against Indiana in week one, but they were perfectly convincing in the second half against the Hoosiers. And Oklahoma is clearly playoff worthy. So when the #5 Sooners take on #2 Buckeyes, we’ll be watching. Absolutely we’ll be watching.

Georgia v Notre Dame7:30pm

SEC teams typically do not appear on Notre Dame’s schedule. But the Irish are checking that box this year and again in 2019 when they take on the Bulldogs. In week one, Notre Dame pulled off an impressive win against Temple, 49-16 to jump into the top 25. And #15 Georgia beat Appalachian State 31-10. The Bulldogs QB Jacob Eason will be out with a sprained ligament. But backup QB Jake Fromm is stepping in; he completed 10 of 15 for 143 yards in his debut against Appalachian State. So this week’s Irish-Bulldogs game is a must see.

Stanford v USC8:30pm

Stanford is coming off its game against Rice in Sydney, Australia. The Cardinal offense was in top early-season form, and they won handily, 62-7. Their first true challenge comes when they play #6 USC. The Trojans had an easy time against Western Michigan, winning 49-31. When they take on #13 ranked Stanford, both teams will have their eyes on their respective PAC-12 divisions.

Utah v BYU10:30pm

It’s Holy War. You know, the football rivalry between Utah and BYU. That’s what they call it, anyway—the rivalry is known as Holy War. It’s not actually holy war. It’s just football. Don’t panic.

Still, Utah and BYU will be treating their game on Saturday like they’re fighting for the soul of the state of Utah. The Utes will be making a run at the PAC-12, which is a tough challenge under the best circumstances. But they have some questions at quarterback, and it remains to be seen how their new offense will perform. BYU, meanwhile, could conceivably—not likely, but conceivably—have a shot at the College Football Playoff this year, writes Joan Niesen at SI.

The only way to get to the playoffs is to play. Watch on DISH. Subscribe now.